The Pyjak in the Gutter
by phoenixforce50
Summary: Commander Shepard came from nothing, with no family and no home but the streets of Earth's megatropoli, yet he fought harder than anyone for his homeworld. This story follows him in his young childhood to when he joined the Alliance military, outlining events that made him who he was.
1. Chapter 1

The Pyjak in the Gutter: Shepard's story

Author's note: This is the backstory for my Commander Shepard (Full Paragon, War Hero, Earthborn, Infiltrator) where he grew up on the streets of Earth as an orphan, starting with nothing.

**Chapter 1**

Shepard rummaged through the garbage disposal unit at the back of the apartment. This block was inhabited by some upper-class citizens and they were very generous with their servings, often throwing out entire meals when their children were too full or too fussy. At the same time, though, this area was extremely dangerous for a boy of six with no family and no hometo be in; this was indeed a treasure trove for hungry street kids, but, like any feeding ground, the strong always get the first pick. Today was no exception. Most of the food was already taken, only crumbs leading where they were taken which trailed off in every direction. As Shepardsearched, he came across a pool of blood by the alley.

"Another fight must've broken out between some of the older boys," muttered Shepard, "Glad I didn't come earlier."

He continued searching, until he heard a noise up above him. He ducked down behind a generator and waited for whoever it was to pass. When another noise rattled down the pipe, he cautiously poked his head around the corner. Quiet as a shadow, he crept around to find the source, his scuffed shoes making barely a sound on the smooth concrete. Another rattling noise confirmed that it was not anyone else coming to compete with him. Instead, it was the remains of a midnight snack by one of the residents of the apartments. Half-eaten leftovers came tumbling down the chute to sit in the gutter. Shepard caught the food with his hands before it hit the gutters. It was cold, but better than what normally came through.

"It's my lucky night." He said, as he looked around before helping himself to the unknown sustenance.

The food was good, really good.

_"__If this was thrown away, what kinds of delicacies do they eat normally up there?"_ He thought

Shepard looked up wistfully, at the apartments with their soft beds, heating and clean water. Beyond the rooftops was the empty sky, the stars barely visible past the light pollution, but there was just a glimmer when Shepard squinted

"I'm going up there one day, I'm going to travel through the stars and fight bad guys in space, like the guys in the vids." He thought. He smiled at the thought. He'd make a name for himself, not just his surname Shepard, but he'd give himself a proper name. his parents left him with a note, but the first part of his name was smudged from the rain, so he only read 'Shepard.'

He turned as another kid came into the alley. He was much bigger than Shepard, and holding a broken bottle. He couldn't see the kid's face in the low light but he knew he'd overstayed his welcome. Shepherd got up and ran out the other end of the alley.

_"__Don't look back," _he told himself, _"They get you when you look back."_

He didn't stop running until he got to the end of the block, where he hid in a decrepit old building that was in dire need of repair or replacement but had never been so. He clambered into the window and ran up the stairs. He knew from experience which ones were unsafe and flung himself onto the upper landing. When he didn't hear the sound of footsteps behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe, or at least what counted for safe when you had no home and no one to care for you but you. He got up and clambered through the ventilation duct into his special hidey-hole. His 'secret base' he called it. Only he knew the ways in and the ways out. It wasn't much, but it would keep him safe from predatory kids and prying eyes. It was situated at the base of a generator exhaust, with metal grating for a floor and a spinning fan blade for a ceiling. The exhaust would keep him warm through the rest of the night, and the hum of the generators was calming. He'd managed to drag in some items that made it more comfortable, including a patched blanket and an old vid game that was broken, so he could never get passed level four. He laid himself down on the blanket and wrapped it around himself, since the generators where offline as of right now.

"I'm going to be an Alliance soldier one day, the best there's ever been." He said as his eyes began to close.

He dreamed that he was on a ship, and no ordinary ship, it was _his _ship. It was so fast it could outrun an exploding star. He dreamed it zipping around Turian cruisers, dodging their fire while returning his own, decimating their fleet with a single ship. He knew he would be promoted for defending Earth so valiantly. As he landed the ship, people all crowded around him. People wanted to talk to him! He couldn't make out most of their words, but the crowd wasn't what he was interested in the most; he could see two people, a man and a woman, at the end of the crowd, looking at him with a look of pride in their eyes. He couldn't make out their faces, so he pushed through the crow to get closer to them. He waded through the crowd, their arms like tree branches hindering his progress, closing on him as he neared his goal. The further he went, the harder it got for him to walk; it was like he was wading through water. When he finally broke through the crowd, he looked up at the couple, but they were not looking at him anymore. They were looking up at the sky, which had turned a deathly shade of red. Shepard looked up, only to see the sky rent apart by tendrils of red light. Through the rent came giant robots, with glowing red eyes and lots of legs. It turned towards him and he saw that it looked a lot like a squid that he'd seen on display at the markets. The robot squids glowed red and fired lasers at the ground, which traced a path up to the people he'd reached. Just before the beams reached them, they turned and looked at him, but he still couldn't see their faces through the silhouette the lasers gave them. They were swallowed up by the light, which came closer and closer until it-

Shepard woke up panting. The generators were up and running again and sunlight shone through the spinning blades of the fan. He rubbed his eyes and crawled out to see if he could find today's meal.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Pyjak**

"Daaad, I don't want this Earth-food." complained the Asari child in a whiny voice.

"You'll eat what's put in front of you, or you'll be fighting Varren for your next meal." Snapped the father of the Krogan child.

The Asari mother giggled and continued to eat her salad, while her husband dug into his roast beef, an acquired taste for a Krogan. The child picked at her food; a rib-eye steak with a side of veggies (her mother insisted that she get nutrients from other sources, not just meat.)

"But daaad-"

"No buts, Morlac! Now eat!"

"Morlac, your father's right. You need to eat. Don't you want to be a big strong warrior like your father? Only the best become commandos."

"I want to smash Darrek's head. The Turian bastard kept calling me names."

The Asari mother looked shocked, "Where did you learn that word?" she demanded, but the father chuckled in a deep hearty voice.

"Leave him be, Sellipa. Nothing wrong with a little childhood competition."

Sellipa glared at her husband, but relented.

Shepard watched all this from behind a bush at the edge of the outdoor café. The mall was densely populated with shoppers and tourists, as this was one of the largest shopping districts on Earth. The family Shepard watched were one of the latter group; the Asari mother was a director for a tech division on Noveria and the father was a decorated Krogan warrior. Their child was waving her arms around like a bird, throwing a temper tantrum until the food flew off the table and landed on the ground. This was the moment Shepard was waiting for; he darted forward and slid under a nearby empty table. He reached forward to take some of it when suddenly, a three-fingered hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him up.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" asked the Krogan. Shepard squirmed to break free but the Krogan's grip was like iron.

"Looks like a little Pyjak, scrounging for food."

"Smash it dad, smash it!" cried the child

The Krogan looked at Shepard, debating what to do with him. Shepard looed the Krogan dead in the eye, trying to loo a fierce as possible.

"Dear, don't be mean. He's clearly an orphan, we should help him." Said Sellipa carefully

"Where I come from, Pyjaks are vermin to be exterminated, but they're also pretty hard to catch. Heh, I'll let this one go, see if he can escape on his own next time." He dropped Shepard, who landed heavily on his rear. He got up and nabbed some of the spoiled food and ran off. The Krogan laughed behind him.

"You hear me Pyjak? Next time I won't be letting you go!"

Shepard slowed his pace, thinking.

_"__He called me a Pyjak. I like that. I'll be Pyjak Shepard, and I'll be impossible to catch!" _Shepard smiled at the thought and ran to find somewhere safe to eat the still-hot food in peace.

Months later, Shepard had become one of the slipperiest kids in the city. He could climb and wall, squeeze through any doorway and stay so quiet he could circle you and you wouldn't notice (this he did on occasion). He had joined a street gang of other kids, and he was to be their 'scout'. Shepard wasn't quite sure what a 'scout' was, but he knew what he was supposed to do: he would sneak into areas the other kids couldn't get to and see who or what was in there. He was very good at it too, often allowing the small group to sneak past security guards and mechs to steal food from restaurants and stores. It didn't seem right to him, so he took it up with the leader, a big girl named Erin. She told him that unless he wanted to be on his own tonight, he'd better shut up and get in there.

Shepard reluctantly entered the warehouse and spotted two mechs inside patrolling the premises. He watched their movements, mechs were easy to follow; they always followed the same path unless provoked. He snuck back outside and told the gang what to expect and when to go. The gang infiltrated the warehouse and managed to get an entire box of fresh seafood.

"What are we supposed to do with all this fish?" asked Fingers, a pickpocket

"We eat it, stupid." Said Silver, a lying beggar kid

"I think Fingers means how do we eat it if it's raw? I heard raw fish 'aint good for you." replied Jawbones, the biggest and toughest kid

"We'll find a way to cook it then. The ice will keep it until we do." Said Erin in a way that allowed no argument. They carried the crate through the night to a secret place that was cold enough to keep the fish and crab from defrosting. Shepard had been with this group for only a week, but he knew he shouldn't be with them. That night, he stole two fish large from the crate and retreated back to his secret base.

Shepard lay there, thinking that he was better off on his own, or at the very least doing things the right way.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A New Resolve**

Two months later, things were getting a little easier, as Shepard had mapped out the choice areas that had either good food thrown away, kind folk who would help or little competition. He had begun to explore the rooftops and found that they provided a reasonably hassle-free method of travel, provided the gaps between buildings weren't too wide, since he nearly fell one time due to his short seven-year-old legs. As he was sitting on the edge of a factory roof watching the luxury yachts sail past, he was struck with an idea.

"I should get a job, so that I can get money to buy food properly, like the grown-ups do." The next day, Shepard went down to the markets where people went to buy things all the time. It was still early morning, and shopkeepers were setting up their kiosks and fresh produce. Shepard wandered around, unseen, looking for someone who looked friendly. He came across a balding man in an apron, dusting the surfaces of his shop. Shepard stood patiently in the pathway outside. The man eventually turned around and saw Shepard standing there and looked him up and down.

"If yer lookin' fer free food, go someplace else kid." The man turned back to his shop

Shepard put on his best grown-up voice and tried to sound older than he was, "I would like a job mister, not free food." The man stoped what he was doing and turned back to look at Shepard

"Ye want a job? Here?"

"Yes please mister."

The man studied him with a critical eye. Shepard knew he could tell that he was a street kid. Finally the man nodded his head.

"If I can keep ye off the streets, that migh' just be enough to keep me wife off me back for being such an ass. What can you do?"

Shepard's heart leapt in his chest, this was working already!

"I can be really quiet, and I can be stealthy and get into places other kids can't, I can-"

"No, I mean what can you do that would help me?"

Shepard thought for a moment, he really didn't know what he could do to help this man, so he lied.

"I can do anything you need me to."

"Can ye carry crates from the truck to the back o' the shop?"

"I can definitely do that mister." Shepard knew that he probably wouldn't be able to carry the big crates but he would try his hardest before he told him that.

"Well then ye can prove it now. Go 'round the back and star' unloadin'. Bring 'em inside. Oh, by the way, me name's Norman."

"I don't have a first name, only a last name."

"And that is what?"

"Shepard."

"Righto, Shepard, git them boxes round back."

Shepard ran around to the back of the shop, and indeed, there was a very old truck waiting with crates full of fruits and vegetables waiting for him to carry them. He hopped up on the truck bed and bent down to pick up the nearest box. It was heavy, very heavy. Shepard strained against the crate, his small fingers unable to get much purchase against the smooth material.

"Ye OK out there?" asked Norman

"They're kinda heavy mister Norman."

"Lift with ye legs, not with ye back."

Shepard looked back down at the box and squatted down. He wrapped his arms around the box and stood up straight, the box came up easier this time and he was able to move it off the truck and to the back of the shop. Norman typed in his code and the hermetically sealed container cracked open with a hiss. Norman began to unpack the fresh produce and set it up at the front of his store. He caught Shepard staring at him unpacking the crate

"Ye got concrete in ye feet? Get on with it!" he yelled

Shepard snapped out of it and went back to the truck and kept unloading. By the end of it Shepard's arms and knees were heavy as lead, and Shepard felt a hard hand on his shoulder as he slumped down to rest. He looked up to see Norman's silhouette against the sun behind him. A big smile on his face, Norman looked very happy.

"Ye did great kid, showed real determination. Where ye from anyways?"

"I haven't got a home, I'm an orphan."

Norman's smile left his face.

"You have no home? Where do ye sleep at night?"

"I have a place that's warm. It's alright, but a little damp in winter."

"Hrm, well, if ye can prove ye get what it takes ta work hard fer me, I might be able the fix that."

Shepard's face lit up at the notion, "Really? You'd do that for me?"

"If ye can work hard fer it, I don' see why not."

Shepard bounded up off the ground, ready to work again, then his joints started complaining and he sat back down grimacing.

"Take a break kid, ye've earned it."

Shepard smiled and nodded while Norman went to the front of his store to sell his wares.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: By the Horns**

"You say I stole your stuff? Why would I want to take any of your stupid rotten vegetables?" Fingers whined at Norman

"I say ye took my pomegranates withou' payin' me."

Fingers kicked Norman's leg hard and ran off, while Shepard watched from behind the stall. He dropped the box of produce he was carrying and ran after Fingers. He ran past Norman, who yelled after him, "Shepard! Where ye going?"

"I'm gonna catch Fingers for you!" yelled back Shepard

"You can't catch me Shepard!" yelled back Fingers

Fingers turned a corner, exiting the marketplace. Shepard swung over a low-table to take a shortcut through a meat vendor. Fingers looked behind him and smirked with smugness. Shepard crash tackled him from the side, coming out of nowhere.

"Oof!" cried Fingers as he hit the ground with Shepard on top of him.

Shepard quickly twisted him around and found Norman's pomegranates under his shirt.

"Owowowow!" whined Fingers, Shepard backed off him, holding the pomegranates tightly against his chest. Fingers got up and dusted himself off, though it didn't help much.

"So Shepard, you stole from us and then you attack me. Erin's gonna kill you!"

Norman finally came up behind Shepard and stood imposingly staring down at Fingers.

"I don' think so kid."

Shepard turned around to face Norman

"I got your pomegranates back mister Norman."

Norman took the pomegranates and ruffled Shepard's hair, "Great job Shepard. Ye know this kid?"

Shepard turned and glared at Fingers, "Yeah, I used to. He's part of a gang of kids I was with for a while. I didn't like the way they worked so I left."

"And he stole our fish." added Fingers

"I took two fish that I helped you steal. It's only fair." Replied Shepard

"I think ye should stay away from Shepard, he's my responsibility now kid." Said Norman, his voice grave

Fingers blanched, then backed away slowly, before running full pelt down the street, almost getting crushed by a parking car.

"Thanks mister Norman." Said Shepard

"Ah, it's OK Shepard, I was pushed aroun' by kids when I was yer age too. Ye gotta make them listen to ye, sometimes through words, sometimes through actions. Come on, let's get back to the store."

For the rest of the month, Shepard lay anxiously in his bedroll that Norman had provided, thinking about what the gang would do to him now that they knew where he was, but they never came.

_"__Maybe Norman was right, and he intimidated Fingers enough to make him leave me alone."_

Shepard was comforted by that thought, and rolled over and finally fell asleep, watching the cars fly through the city night.

Shepard built up quite the significant amount of upper body strength over the time that he worked for Norman, and eventually became part of his business as if he were an employee, but was technically still a minor, so Norman couldn't pay him outright, but he gave him the leftovers that he couldn't sell before they went off, and Shepard became less gaunt and scrawny due to his healthier diet. He noticed that he had started growing too, as he could reach his arms all the way around the smaller boxes when before he couldn't.

"Hey, Shepard. Come here a minute would ya?" called Norman, Shepard picked up the next box and jogged lightly and put it in the back, walking up to Norman who was going through his accounts. He saw Shepard standing there and looked at him strangely,

"Yer an orphan, but did ye ever learn how ta read or count?"

"I learnt how to read, but not my numbers."

"Well, it's about time ye learnt. After we close down today, ye comin' back ta my house. Me wife's a teacher, she can help ye."

Shepard grinned like a mad idiot, but thought about it for a second before responding.

"Mister Norman, why are you helping me like this? You could have let Fingers let Erin know about me, and now you're going to teach me numbers."

"Ye real smart fer yer age Shepard, maybe too smart. I didn't let that kid have at ye because it would've brought the rest of them here, and I don' want that. and I'm gonna teach ye numbers so ye can help me behin' the counter."

Shepard's face brightened as his suspicions were lifted

"Oh, OK then!"

Some hours later, as the sun was going down, Shepard and Norman hopped into Norman's truck and he drove them to his house. It was a long drive, and Shepard watched the sun fall down past the horizon before they reached it. Norman walked into the house, a modest building that had several areas attached to it by hand.

"Mister Norman, did you add those parts of the house?"

"Nah, me brother in law did all that fer me. Come inside, I told me wife you were comin'."

Shepard entered the house after Norman, who held the door open for him. Inside the hallway were two children running towards Norman, who knelt down and scooped them up in a big hug. The children squealed with delight, and Norman introduced them as his children, "This is Peter, and Anabelle. Peter's five and Anabelle's three. Kids, this is Shepard."

Peter waved vigorously at Shepard, who smiled and waved back, while Anabelle shrieked and hid her face in Norman's shoulder.

"Honey? Are you home?" called a voice from down the hallway, which preceded a tall woman in a flowery dress with auburn hair tied in a bun behind her head.

"Oh, is this that Shepard boy you talked about?"

"Yep, this is Shepard. Shepard, this is me lovely wife Heather. Heather, he's been helping me around the stall, carryin' boxes an' such. He actually stopped a thief from stealing me fruits."

"Well, you said you wanted me to teach him, so let's get started. This way Shepard."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Back to Basics**

The lessons with Norman's wife Heather were long and difficult, and Shepard had a lot to learn since he had no previous education. Numbers were really hard, but as he practiced more and more, he got better. He would often test himself by calculating the amount of produce in each box he carried and see if it matched what was on the outside. More than a couple of times he found errors and told Norman, who thanked him for his efforts with an extra piece of fruit. Heather was a nice enough person, much less gruff than her husband, but very driving. She would often tell Shepard to do things he thought that he couldn't. and he would complain that the work was too hard. To which she would respond: "It's not too hard, I can do it, Norman can do it and so can you, all you have to do is practice and use your brains. That's the only difference between kids and grown-ups, grown-ups have lived longer and have had more practice with their brains."

Shepard would reply with, "Grown-ups are also bigger and stronger aren't they?"

"Yes, but do those things help them do math?"

Shepard would then look back down at the tablet with the sums on it and say, "No, I guess not."

Eventually, he got up to speed, and Norman would occasionally let him do the trading with customers, since he also had a very persuasive speech that was years ahead of his age. He often charmed people into buying things they thought they wouldn't need, like certain cheeses that went well with the Serrice ice brandy they had just bought, or the not quite as big but better tasting baby sweetcorn. Shepard's tips that he picked up from reading cookbooks that Heather showed him and from Norman's own mind resulted in a massive boom in business for Norman's Fresh Produce. Norman had become so successful he expanded to the two stalls either side and had to hire more hands just to keep up with demand.

"Shepard, I don' know how ye do it, but ye've managed ta bring in more customers than I've ever seen here." He said to him after a particularly successful sell-out

"It's easy mister Norman, I just tell people the truth. Those things that you say about the fruits and vegetables, the other things that Heather shows me when I read her cookbooks for practice, they say stuff like that."

"Yeah, but ye say it in such a way that the listen to ye. I've bin sayin' that kinda stuff fer years, no-one cared so much as when ye say it."

Shepard shrugged modestly, '"I don't know mister Norman."

"Ah, never mind 'bout it. come on, let's go."

Eventually, Shepard grew taller and stronger thanks to the healthy diet that Norman provided him with, and with Heather's tutoring he began to lean things on his own, now that he could read. His future was looking so much brighter than it was before.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: All's Well That Bends Well**

Almost a year had passed since Shepard had started working with Norman. The fresh produce stalls he ran with Shepard's help were running so well that Norman told Shepard, "I would pay ye, but there's legal crap says I can't." Heather tutored Shepard until he was up to speed in where he should be if he had attended school and was learning fast. Heather had even talked of adopting Shepard but Norman was disinclined, "We can't, the boy's broken up about his parents, and I don't wanna hafta handle three youngsters. 'though it's nice of ye ta think of him."

Shepard was watching ships fly past towards the Alliance outpost on the other side of the huge city with awe. He wished he could fly in one of those too, and fight the bad guys like the men and women in the vids did. But he knew he was too young, and they wouldn't let him near. Norman came up behind him and watched the ships streak across the sky.

"Watcha staring at Shepard?"

Shepard turned at Norman's voice, not expecting him.

"I was just watching. I want to join the Alliance when I'm old enough. I'll save the galaxy one day, and I'll have my own ship and I'll be the best captain ever!"

Norman whistled at Shepard's boast

"That's a lot o' stuff ye wanna do there kid. I think I might know how ta get ye started. We'll close up early, I'm gonna show ye somethin'."

"What is it?"

Norman smiled his toothy grin, "It's a surprise."

The surprise turned out to be another long car trip to a building on the edge of the city, near the Alliance outpost. Shepard watched, puzzled, as Noman led him inside the long building. As the door opened, Shepard could hear short blasts coming from the next room. They sounded familiar but were muffled by the wall. Shepard followed Norman to a receptionist's desk. The man inside was heavily tattooed had pink spiky hair.

"Whadyou want?" he droned

"Me and the kid wanna shoot stuff." Norman gave the man a membership card

The man behind the desk shrugged and pulled out a data pad,

"Sign here, thumbprint here and date of birth here." He said, obviously not interested in the fact that Shepard was only eight. Norman signed the safety forms for Shepard and handed it back to the man who slotted it into the machine which made a chirping sound.

"You can go in, just be careful and wear these in your ears blah, blah, blah…" the man's voice trailed off and he stared at the window

Shepard followed Norman into the other room and saw other people shooting at the end of the room.

"Shepard, I'm gonna teach ye how ta shoot. Put these in yer ears and watch carefully."

Norman picked up an M-3 Predator pistol and pointed it down the lane at the target hanging from the ceiling. He flicked of a switch, peered down the sights and squeezed off a few shots and let it cool down.

"Now, what did I do first?" asked Norman

The rest of the day was spent teaching Shepard the basics, and Norman used his membership card to get Shepard in and practicing once a week. Norman confided with him after the first session,

"Don't let me wife know 'bout this, she don't like it much."

Shepard kept it quiet but didn't quite understand why but he sensed it was a sensitive topic and held his silence. Inwardly, he smiled. His dream was becoming a reality. Maybe if he became famous enough, his parents would find him first and he could have a family again, like Norman and Heather.

Two more years passed, and Norman was bringing his son Peter to help out at the market, when Heather would let them. Shepard often showed them how to do things since it was easier for him to tell Peter how to do things. "Shepard, where do these go?" he would often ask.

One day, Norman pulled him aside.

"Shepard, I got some bad news ta tell ya." He began. Shepard pulled up a crate and sat down.

"What is it mister Norman?"

"People found out about me using you as a hand in here, and they found out that yer not me son. You can't work fer me anymore, not unless I adopt ye. And you know I like ye, but not enough to do that. I'm sorry."

Shepard didn't understand, what did he do wrong? He always did what Norman told him to, and Norman only yelled at him a couple of times early on.

"Why? Why won't you let me work anymore?" said Shepard, tears beginning to form in his eyes

"It's not me, Shepard, it's a legal thing. If it were up ta me, I wouldn't stop ye, but it ain't."

Shepard looked down at his shoes, they were not new, but they were in relatively good condition. Norman had said that he couldn't pay Shepard with credits but he could buy things for him with an equivalent value, these shoes were one of those things, textbooks and stationary were another.

"Ye can still sleep here though, and with the business ye brought me, I can still afford ta toss ye some food now and then, but yer not allowed ta work here no more."

Shepard nodded and tried to gulp back the lump in his throat, "OK, thank you mister Norman, for everything."

"Ah, it's OK kid." Norman ruffled Shepard's hair, "Ye can still play with Peter, he loves havin' ye around."

Shepard smiled at that, and decided that maybe it wasn't going to be so bad after all.

_"__I'll have to go back to being Shepard the Pyjak." _He thought


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Back in the Saddle**

Shepard was leaping from one building to another, a young boy following him slowly.

"Come on Jim, you can't get away if you run that slowly!" called Shepard

"I know," panted Jim, "I'm just not that fit."

"Then we'd better get you up to scratch!" Shepard waited until Jim had caught up, almost losing his balance on the last jump.

The other kids in Shepard's little band waited on the other side of the building's roof. Jim smiled weakly as he came along.

"Alright, guys. On the whole you all did well but Teresa and Jim need to get their speed up. If you're being followed you won't be able to escape unless you can get enough of an advantage to get somewhere that they can't follow you." said Shepard to the assembled children

"That's why we're doing all this rooftop parkour?" asked Henry

"That's right. All right, back to the hideout. We'll come back tomorrow night."

Shepard had assembled seven kids between six and fourteen and was helping them learn how to live on the streets, or above them. Shepard had moved to another city that was slightly less populated but had support for orphans and homeless people, so they never went hungry for long, but Shepard wasn't sure how long it would last. He was fifteen now, at rough estimate.

The next day, Shepard brought the kids out to look for work by the markets. Shepard had tried the docks when he first came to the city but to his dismay, he found that the whole area was operated by mechs. The market was not as heavily packed as the last city, but there was the occasional odd job that they could do. They used the money to build up their hideout, a small hovel built in the space under a bridge. Shepard had also acquired an M3 Predator pistol but he kept it hidden from the other kids. He hadn't needed to use it once but it was always prudent to be careful.

"Well well, if it isn't the Shepard and his flock." Said one of the shopkeepers; an Asari by the name of Meloniza.

"Good morning Meloniza. Do you have anything that needs doing?"

"Actually, I have need for some of you." Meloniza drew Shepard close, "I have a competitor who is getting special goods that I can't seem to find anywhere on the market. Can you have some of your kids follow his produce for me?"

Shepard gave a knowing smile, "I know just the kids, but how much are you willing to pay for the information?"

Meloniza whispered a number that made Shepard whistle.

"Sneak and Dodge, you're up for this one. Stay with Meloniza and do as she asks. Meet us back at the hideout when you're done."

As Shepard walked through the market with his troupe close behind, he beckoned Jim to come up and talk to him.

"Jim, I want you to try and find work by yourself today, alright?"

Jim looked horrified, "What? Why would you make me do that? You know I hate talking to strangers."

"I know, but you should learn how to cope with it sooner or later. Stay away from the Krogan, they don't like us all that much."

Jim swallowed and nodded. He turned slowly and went off, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Shepard smiled at his success with the kids. He'd saved them from a life of solitude and an early death.

That night, as Shepard tossed and turned in his sleep, his dreams were just as restless.

_"__Shepard! We have to hurry!" cried an Asari_

_An explosion rocked the ship Shepard was in,_

_"__I'll be right there!" replied Shepard_

_He ran forward to the escape pods, where a man and a woman were waiting for him. He could almost make out their faces when a yellow energy beam tore through the ship, separating them and the ship._

_"__No!" cried Shepard,_

Shepard woke shaking. Tina, the older of the three girls, was looking over him with concern.

"I- I could hear you in your sleep. You were yelling, and some of the younger ones were getting scared. Are you alright?"

Shepard looked at her, her features obscured in the darkness.

"I'll be fine, just a bad dream."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The End of the Beginning.**

"Today is the day I leave you all. I'm going to join the Alliance and I thought I should say goodbye to you all. I will miss all of you; you have all done well enough to learn how to survive in this city and I hope you all continue to do as well as you have."

The assembled children waited patiently for Shepard to finish his speech, then made noises in protest.

"Why would you leave us?"

"Did we do something wrong?"

"Don't go!"

Shepard raised his hands to explain, but it did nothing to quell them. Teresa ran up to him and clung to his leg,

"I don't want you to go!" she wailed

"I don't really want to either, but I have to do this, I know I do. Dodge can make sure you keep going. I know you'll be fine without me."

The others calmed down, and Dodge walked up to Shepard.

"This wasn't what I wanted to do, but you chose me for this and I won't let you down. We will continue as we always have, just like you taught us. We will always be Shepard's flock."

Shepard looked at the Alliance recruitment office building. It was tall and imposing, with the symbol of the Alliance displayed holographically above the door. Shepard took a deep breath and walked in. The woman behind the counter was already talking to another young girl with short brown hair abut recruitment. Shepard absentmindedly rubbed his face and smoothed his hair. The younger woman turned around and almost ran into Shepard.

"Damn," she muttered under her voice, but Shepard heard her.

"What's wrong?"

The girl looked up at him, she looked no older than sixteen, too young for the Alliance.

"I tried to get in but they saw through my fake ID."

"You're too young aren't you?" asked Shepard

"Yeah. I'm Ashley." She said, putting out her hand

"I'm Shepard. I don't have a first name."

"Oh, are you an orphan?" Ashley said suddenly, then blushed as she realised what she said

"Yes, I'm an orphan. I had a group of kids I looked out for and helped keep them from starving."

"Aw, that's nice. Hey, aren't you that guy who goes to the upper market with a bunch of kids behind him who do stuff for people?"

"Yep, that's me."

"Well, I hope your attempt at getting in is more successful than mine. Bye."

Ashely walked out the door into the sunlight. Shepard turned and talked to the woman behind the counter.

"Are you underage as well?"

"No, I'm old enough. Check my biometrics." Shepard waved his ID in front of her. She took it and put it through a scanner. It blipped in confirmation.

"Alright then mister Shepard, sign these documents and we can make it official." The woman offered his a data pad and a digital pen. As he took them, and wrote down his full name, he smiled as saw how his chosen name fit neatly on the line.

_"__Today, I start my new life," _he thought happily,_ "Today, is the day I become a soldier!"_

The End


End file.
